Taylor revokes ERF commercial & public lighting method: no consultation, no transition period, 8 April 2022
Poor public policy practice has left leading energy efficient lighting and environmental certificate creation businesses in the dark. The federal government has not provided a transition period as part of their announcement yesterday that commercial and public lighting upgrades would no longer be eligible for Australian Carbon Credit Units under the Emissions Reduction Fund. Businesses were not made aware of a consultation held from 14 January to 11 February 2022, first gaining knowledge of the consultation and revocation yesterday by chance yesterday when perusing the CER website. No submissions and no decision paper have been published.
“No consultation. No industry engagement. No transition period. How can we be confident that the assessment framework used was reasonable and fair when there has been no transparency?” said president of the Energy Savings Industry Association, Rod Woolley.
“The case remains strong to provide incentives for energy efficient lighting retrofit upgrades. They are not business as usual (BAU). We need only look to those states where there are no energy savings schemes to see that large retrofits at scale are not happening. To reduce emissions at scale, financial incentives are still required.”
Well established energy savings schemes in NSW and Victoria slowed their wind down of lighting incentives when they heard through public consultation the range of reasons why they should hasten more slowly. For example, often data regarding the lighting market is not representative of the retrofit market. Rather, it focusses more efficient new build lighting which is becoming business as usual. Industry engagement would have provided deeper clarity on this.
“We would like to see the ‘best possible available data and information’ that the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee has used to come to their decision, including why no transition period has been provided,” said Mr Woolley. “This is another major opportunity lost to move Australia forward. Yet another door has been jammed to pursue greater emissions reduction ambition with proven methods.”
Continuing delays on mandatory disclosure standards for commercial and residential properties for sale and rental is not helping the retrofit market transition to energy efficient lighting as BAU.
Relying on the Minamata Convention ratification on 7 December 2021 is no guarantee that the federal government will mandate the transition to LEDs from mercury vapour lamps. Whereas the revoked activity was an effective mechanism to achieve appropriate disposal.
… Ends Media contact: Jessica Lynch, M 0417 539 377, comns@esia.asn.au
References
ERAC Media Release on CER website http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/About/Pages/News%20and%20updates/NewsItem.aspx?ListId=19b4efbb-6f5d-4637-94c4-121c1f96fcfe&ItemId=1094
Consultation page
Discussion Paper
https://consult.industry.gov.au/commercial-and-public-lighting-revocation
Legislation
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022L00547
(ESIA media release PDF)
